Ball-bearing.



110.859.088. PATENTED JULY 2, 1907.

0. (LKNIPE.

BALL BEARING.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6, 1903.

WITNESSES.

\NVENT'Q we Attq.

PATENT OFFTQE.

OLIVER C. KNIFE, OF NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, llSSIGNOR TO THE PRESSED STEEL MANUFACTURlNG COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

BALL-BEARZNGu fipecification of Letters Itatent.

Patented July 2, 1907.

Application filed March 6, 1903- Serial No. 146,453.

To all whom if. may concern:

Be it known that l, Omvnn G. KNIFE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norristown, in the county of Montgomery, Stale of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ball-Bearings, of which the following is a specification.

I i The ob ect or the present invention is to provide a ball bearing in which the ball-race, balls and cone or other freely turning part which commonly carries a shaft form an unitary structure capable of easy mounting on a shaft or spindle in a box or other support.

In a prior patent issued to me, No. 546,818, dated Sept. 24, 1895, I described a ball-bearing composed of a divided race-Way in which a circle of balls was confined or held together by a soft metal shell closed permanently over the race-Way parts leaving circularopening to admit a shaft or cone. The balls were retained in place by'the sectional raceway which embraced more than half of cach'ball, leaving an annular groove through which the balls projected to engage the shaft or cone.

The present invention embraces the additional'iniproveiuent 0t affording as part of the-ball-race a cone which is permanently part of the strnctu re, thus admitting of the use of the bearing on a simple cylindrical shalt with all the adavanlages of a cone hearing. The cone is by preference hollow so that a cylindrical shaft may be forced into it.

The improvements are carried out by providing an annular race-way to receive the balls, against which latter bears a hardened hollow slccl cone, a [hinged soil: metal shell inclosing the raceway and loosely confining the edge of the cone and being closed on the raceway to act as a permanent retainer for the parts and at the same time form a cushion to protect the hardened parts against breaking under shocks.

My bearing is a completed article ol-manuiacture ready for application to a shaft with almost no machine work, and may be shipped and handled as a complete unit without danger of loss of parts.

My invention therefore comprises a ball-race or container providing in rolling relation a cone or similar rotary part held permanently and loosely in its seat.

It embodies also various other features the novelty of which will be particularly set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention, Figure l is a sectional view of a completed device, and Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views showing the method of assembling the parts.

the periphery or peripheral flange of the cone at its ends being of slightly smaller diameter than the interior diameter of the ,cup, to the end that it may roll freely on the balls without coming into frictional engagement with the ,edges of the cup. The cone is stamped or drawn with acylindrical hole into which may be forced a shaft when the bearing is mounted for service. The cup is of sufiicient depth to permit the cone when bearing on the balls to lie Within a plane bounding the edge of the cup, as shown in the drawings.

Outside of the race is a soft steel or other metal shell 4 provided with an incurled flange 4" to overlap the edge or flange of the cone and retain it inplace, but shaped so that the cone when bearing on the balls will clear thefiange. The shell when the parts are first assembled has a cylindrical wall, as in Fig. 2, but' is closed down in a press so that its vertical edge curls over and tightly embraces the race, as seen in Fig, 1. Thus it will be seen that the'cone and balls. areper niauently confined by the shell within the race, and i that if a cylindrical shalt be driven in the opening through the cone an admirable type of thrust bearing In assembling the parts prior to closing down the soft metal shell, the ball-race may be heldmouth up with the finger or other obstruction closing the smaller 0pening' and the balls dropped in. The cone is then inserted and the cup inverted, as in Fig. 2, and placed in a die, after Which the edge of the shell may be closed down forming the completed article.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is,

1. A ball bearing comprising an annular cup of pressed steel, an annular bearing member of pressed steel with a portion projecting through and a peripheral flange disposed within the cup, balls between said fiance and cup, and a casing of soft metal having one end contracted to engage the cup and the other end flanged to form a rctnincr for ihc bearing member. 7

2. A ball bearing comprising a hardened pressed steel cup, :1 hah'dcncd pressed steel cone having; a. flange lying within said cup, balls between said cone and cup, and a casing of soft metal having one end contracted to closely engage one cud 01 the cup and the other end flanged over the other end of the cup so asto form an annular retainer overlapping the flange of the,cone to retain the latter.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of February, -1 903. I

l OLIVER C. KNIFE. Witnesses:

J. BAn rON Rn'mnw, O. W. PAYRAN, 

